Le Mans. BMW Team MTEK has concluded the ‘Super Season’ in the
FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) with the 24-hour race at Le
Mans (FRA). The two BMW M8 GTEs finished in eleventh and
14th positions in the LM GTE Pro class.
The #82 BMW M8 GTE – driven by Jesse Krohn (FIN), António Félix da
Costa (POR) and Augusto Farfus (BRA) – had started from fifth place
but was unable to hold onto the position as the race progressed,
crossing the line in eleventh place after 335 laps. The #81 car, with
Martin Tomczyk (GER), Nick Catsburg (NED) and Philipp Eng (AUT) at the
wheel, finished in 14th position. Both cars lost time
during the night and towards the end of the race after making repair
stops to fix technical problems. Victory in the LM GTE Pro class went
to the #51 Ferrari.
BMW Team MTEK had celebrated a total of two podium finishes during
the ‘Super Season’. The BMW M8 GTE crossed the line in second place in
the LM GTE Pro field at Fuji (JPN) and at Sebring (USA).
At Le Mans, BMW was celebrating the 20th anniversary of
the 1999 overall win with the BMW V12 LMR. It was also the
80th anniversary of the first BMW class win, with the BMW
328. Both of these cars completed a parade lap around the circuit
before the start of the race.
Reactions to the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Jens Marquardt (BMW Group Motorsport Director):
“The final event of the ‘Super Season’ was certainly a handful.
Before the race, we already knew that the circumstances at Le Mans
would not necessarily make things easy for us. And that turned out to
be the case. It became clear relatively soon that we would not be able
to keep pace with the leaders. Our drivers had to go right to the
limit from the first lap, which put the components under great stress
from the word go. This led to technical difficulties in the
second-third of the race that cost us more time and meant that a top
result was out of sight early on. However, the entire team gave their
all, right to the final lap, although we would obviously have liked to
have left Le Mans with a better result. Credit and respect are due to
all concerned in these difficult circumstances. And now we say ‘Au
revoir, Le Mans’ – and bid farewell to the FIA World Endurance
Championship. Many thanks to BMW Team MTEK, the ACO and WEC. Above
all, we would like to thank the many BMW fans who have provided such
great support for our WEC project over the years.”
Ernest Knoors (Team Principal, BMW Team MTEK):
“That was a very difficult race for us. However, in a 24-hour race,
you always hope to have a chance to improve. That was not really the
case. We also had one or two technical problems and by the end, it was
all just about getting the cars across the line. Whether you win or
lose, the level of work that the team puts into a race like this is
always the same. My girls and boys displayed fantastic commitment. It
is a shame that we weren’t rewarded for that.”
António Félix da Costa (#82 BMW M8 GTE, 11th place):
“Le Mans is always special. We made a good start to the race as
a team, but the circumstances meant that we didn’t have the pace
required. Every one of us battled hard and we gave our all. Of course,
there is some sadness that we are leaving WEC with the BMW M8 GTE.
Thanks to the whole BMW Team MTEK team for our time together. New
challenges will come – my next one will be this coming weekend at the
Formula E in Bern.”
Augusto Farfus (#82 BMW M8 GTE, 11th
place):
“That was a disappointing race for us. We wanted
to say goodbye with a good result and tried everything possible to
keep up with the leading group. However, we just didn’t have the pace.
The technical problem during the night was not what made the
difference. I really enjoyed the BMW M8 GTE project in WEC. Many
thanks to everyone at BMW Team MTEK. The team did really great work.”
Jesse Krohn (#82 BMW M8 GTE, 11th
place):
“In general, my Le Mans debut was a fantastic
experience that I will never forget. Unfortunately, it was difficult
for us from a racing point of view. The team worked very hard and did
not record the result that it deserved. I am now heading directly to
the Nürburgring. I hope that things will go better for me there.”
Martin Tomczyk (#81 BMW M8 GTE, 14th place):
“Unfortunately, Le Mans 2019 was not successful for us. The
circumstances were difficult and we really had to give our all to even
have half a chance of keeping pace with our competitors. The technical
problems then cost us more time. Despite that, it was good for the
team to reach the finishing line at least after all the hard work.
Looking back, our WEC programme had plenty of highs and lows. The
highlight for me was certainly the second place at the 1,000 Miles of
Sebring. I would have liked to have recorded a top result at the 24
Hours of Le Mans as well, but luckily for me, I’ve got another chance
to do so next weekend at the Nürburgring.”
Nick Catsburg (#81 BMW M8 GTE, 14th place):
“That was a hard race. We didn’t have the pace, so we had to
drive really hard and that led to our technical problems. Of course,
spending so much time in the pits means that you have no chance of
recording a good result at Le Mans. Overall, I was very happy to be
part of the WEC project and BMW Team MTEK. Unfortunately, we were not
as successful as we had hoped. Now I am looking forward to my next
favourite race, the 24 Hours Nürburgring, next weekend.”
Philipp Eng (#81 BMW M8 GTE, 14th place):
“Overall, that was another great week at Le Mans. It’s a shame
that we couldn’t round it off with a good result. In general, the BMW
M8 GTE drove well but unfortunately we just didn’t have the pace
required on the straights. We had to drive right at the limit, which
put the compontents under extreme stress. Many thanks to BMW
Motorsport and BMW Team MTEK for allowing me to be a part of this
project from the start.”